THE CAUCUS; Afghanistan: A Massacre, Then Questions

By JONATHAN WEISMAN

Published: March 14, 2012

The case of an American soldier accused of killing Afghan civilians has roiled political support in Congress for the military campaign in Afghanistan, with a prominent Republican senator accusing his party's candidates for president of undermining the nation's military commanders.

''When Republican candidates for president, when Republican politicians talk about being for early withdrawal, it makes it harder for the general to do his job,'' said Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. ''I want to be in a Republican Party that understands the strategic consequences of winning and losing in Afghanistan and will back up a general who deserves to be backed up.''

Both former Senator Rick Santorum and former Speaker Newt Gingrich suggested in the wake of the massacre that the country needed to reassess its military commitment to the conflict in Afghanistan.

''We have to either make the decision to make a full commitment, which this president has not done, or we have to decide to get out, and probably get out sooner,'' Mr. Santorum said on Monday.

Appearing on CBS's ''Face The Nation'' on Sunday, Mr. Gingrich said: ''We need to understand that our being in the middle of countries like Afghanistan is probably counterproductive. We're not prepared to be ruthless enough to force them to change. And yet we are clearly an alien presence.''

Such sentiment remains an outlier for the Republican Party, but more names are joining those counseling faster withdrawal. Two Republican senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah, joined 22 Democratic senators last week in a letter calling for a quicker end to the war.

Echoing his father, the presidential candidate Ron Paul, Senator Paul said on Tuesday: ''We won the war. We toppled the Taliban. We got rid of Osama Bin Laden. Now we have an ally that disrespects us, who disparages is, who is openly confrontational to us. At this point, it's time to come home.''

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, did not go that far but she did express skepticism.

''Despite the extraordinary heroism of our troops and the brilliance of our military leaders, one has to wonder whether the corrupt central government and with the history of Afghanistan, whether we truly can achieve the goal of a secure country,'' she said on Tuesday.

Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the fallout from the shooting could be huge. ''It's to be expected, and has to be dealt with as best you can in an honest and transparent way,'' he said.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.